Why would anyone choose DO vs MD?

DO vs MD? MD vs DO? what’s the difference?… (and other FAQs)

Why would anyone choose DO over MD?

Two reasons (for the most part):

1) You’re into alternative medicine, public health, or preventative care. Osteopathic medical training is becoming increasingly popular as U.S. lawmakers are concerned about the high cost of care and therefore, much are interested in preventative care and alternative methods of reducing such costs. In fact, research centers are popping up at some of the most prestigious schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) and are receiving serious funding from the NIH to study and apply alternative medical treatments. So, any of that sounds compelling, you might want to explore the DO route, since your training will likely introduce you to a range of alternative therapies and theories MDs won’t hear much about during med school. That’s not to say you can’t get into preventative, alternative or manipulative care if you go the MD route. MD grads are free to explore fellowships and masters degrees in these fields after—or even before, in the case of MD/MPH joint degree programs—they graduate. It just means you aren’t as likely to be exposed to it during medical school.

2) Your application is so-so. Although the quality of education DOs receive is, for all intents and purposes, identical to what MDs get, DO schools are generally considered to be less competitive. If your MCAT score and/or GPA is out of range or at the low end of what most MD programs are looking for, it may still be competitive enough to get you into a few DO programs. That said, DO schools don’t accept just anyone. In fact, in 2013/2014 years, the average MCAT/GPA combo for matriculants into DO school was 27 and 3.5. If you don’t have your ducks in a row, so to speak, you’re not likely to get in anywhere, MD or DO. But to be clear, on the whole, students entering osteopathic schools have somewhat lower undergraduate GPAs and MCAT scores.

Will your practice as a DO differ from that of an MD?

On the whole, not really. DOs use all of the same treatments, tools, and technologies that MDs do. In fact, DOs can choose from any of the specialties MDs can, from emergency medicine to cardiovascular surgery, geriatrics to psychiatry.

However, because it is well-known that DO schools are somewhat less competitive than MD schools, residencies may take into account the fact that you were a slightly less competitive applicant as a pre-med student. Even then, your grades and extracurricular work during medical school, plus the strength of your letters of recommendation will have a much stronger bearing on where you get your first job. After that, the jobs you get will have little (to nothing) to do with the letters behind your name, as long as you’re licensed to practice as physician in your state.

Who’s in school and residency longer—MD vs DO?

Whether you choose to pursue a DO or MD degree, you’ll spend four years in medical school. Your residency program will be very similar, ranging from 2-7 years, depending on your specialty.

Why are there more MD schools than DO schools in the U.S.?

Osteopathy, as a field of medicine, exists as an alternative to the traditional medical care model. Whereas allopathic (MD) medical training tends to focus on medication and surgical procedures, osteopathic (DO) study includes basic training in various naturopathic treatments and preventative measures. The first osteopathy school wasn’t founded until 1892; the first allopathic school was founded more than a century before. Since then DO schools have increased in number, and factors that distinguish them from M.D. schools have diminished substantially. DOs are licensed to practice medicine in any setting or speciality an MD can, so far as they have received the proper training and certification.

DO vs MD: The Verdict

All that said, since DOs and MDs have essentially the same privileges and opportunities, it seems like choosing DO over MD shouldn’t really be that big of a deal. If you love the city where a DO school you were accepted to is located, but you hate the city where the MD school you got into sits, it’s probably important to think about your priorities, and ask yourself if the (unfounded) prestige of the MD degree is worth a rough 4+ years.

If you’re visiting this page, you’re probably trying to figure out whether the whole med school thing is for you, or you already have and you’re trying to chart a path for yourself to get there. (Other than this website) one of the best resources I’ve come across is On Becoming a Doctor: Everything You Need to Know about Medical School, Residency, Specialization, and Practice, and you can get it for 10 bucks or so on Amazon. Anyway, it calmly and thoroughly walks you through each academic, physical, and emotional step you’ll take on your way to a successful career in medicine, and includes interviews with many different specialists to help you choose a medical path.

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4-26-12

LakersTrent says:

Most common reasons for DO over MD:
1- A unique personal proclivity toward osteopathic manipulation techniques, alternative medicine, etc.
2- A geographic or financial preference for a specific DO school
3- Certain preference for primary care fields and ambivalence toward DO vs MD behind your name
4- Little or no choice due to strength of application

Although the training is basically equivalent, DO’s are at a significant disadvantage compared to MD’s in the next phase of training–applying for residency. All things being equal, residency programs will typically select an MD over a DO. For competitive specialties (e.g. dermatology, radiology, surgical subspecialties), there are more qualified MD candidates than there are spots, so DO’s have an especially hard time getting in anywhere. Even for less competitive specialties (i.e. primary care), a similar dynamic pushes DO’s out of the running of the most prestigious programs and most desirable locations. Just something to consider.

Although I am not a medical student, “just” a patient, perhaps this is because of the long-standing “Good Old Boy” glass ceiling of the programs run primarily by medical doctors. I have seen medical doctors for most of my adult life, primarily because being in the military, I had no choice. Now that I am retired from the military, I can return to doctors of osteopathy. While in the military, I had medications pushed at me each time I went to the doctor. It’s a common joke in the military that everyone walks out of the doctor’s office with “military candy,” which is either a huge bottle of 800 mg Motrin or Cepacol throat lozenges! All this from medical doctors.

Let’s be frank here–a student ‘chooses’ a DO program when confronted with rejections from MD programs, brochures to programs abroad and a ticking clock. It’s a choice of necessity, not desire to ‘holistically treat.’ Upon graduation, we are all expected to (and will approach) our patients in a very similar way: quick physical diagnosis/assessment/labs/empiric data and proceed. Spinal manipulation has shit to do with treatment of acute cholecystitis.

Choosing a DO program is recognizing that your application is weak so you’re biding your time and hoping to kill step 1 as a means of rebuilding your CV for residency–let’s not glorify this. DOs are working against a known stigma and, that being said, starting at a deficit might make you thicker skinned but you’re not going to overcome this kind of gap easily and you should be open to matching in a less competitive residency.

Thanks for writing, TP, although I don’t think you really offer anything valuable in your comment. My post clearly addresses the fact that DO schools tend to be less competitive, and that they are a viable option for students with less competitive applications. I don’t know why you feel the need re-explain that. But you’re wrong to think that DO programs are always a last ditch effort to get in somewhere. Some pre-meds simply don’t care about the essentially baseless status associated with MD as much as you do, and just want to practice medicine. I think your comment would be more accurate if you inserted “in my mind” at the beginning or end of every sentence. You have some clear biases that don’t apply to other people and reflect a lot of guessing about something with which you have zero direct experience. The only reason I’m responding is to reassure readers that the DO route is a respectable choice that will allow them to pursue a satisfying career in medicine. If someone, like TP, says otherwise, it’s probably because they have their eager little hearts set on all the respect they think they’ll get with their big bad MD degree.

No one on earth would ‘choose’ a DO degree if they could get into any MD program. Honestly, this we are just as good as them propaganda only makes DOs look more pathetic. As a patient, ask yourself a simple question-do you want someone with an average 22 MCAT score and 2.0 undergrad gpa or do want someone with a brain that has efficient training? My brother in law is getting a DO now and he is a complete idiot who couldn’t get into any medical school but tells people he ‘chose’ DO school. Yeah right. Just accept what everyone knows, that DO school is a last resort for those who could never be MDs. You are not fooling anyone. It is like saying I got into Harvard law school but choose to be a paralegal instead.

Thanks Bryce for your well-meaning post to distinguish DOs from MDs, but there are broad assumptions that you and those who responded above, have made. First, everyone is assuming that no one with very good stats (MCAT, GPA, clinical/volunteer experience, etc.) will ever consider DO schools over MD schools. That’s like saying anyone who wants to be a vet doesn’t really want to be a “real” doctor because “real” doctors must have DO or MD behind their names. Absolute BS. Please take the time to really study the osteopathic philosophy before trashing it. Negative posts like the ones above are the reason why osteopathic medicine still gets a bad rap today. In the end, DOs and MDs have to work together in their practices, so it will help if the negativity ends before then. Lets spend more time analyzing the perils of our health system and the possible solutions to the gaps in health care delivery in this country, because in my opinion, that’s a more noteworthy issue.

There is more to one’s decision to go to DO vs. MD, than just grades. I can’t comment on your brother-in-law, but having worked in the medical field for the last five years, and having MDs in the family, I see more and more patients actually requesting DOs, and even MDs suggesting that clinically the DO approach is stronger than the allopathic approach (not my words, a doc I work with who is an MD, his opinion). The main problem here is “ego”. A DO can take the USMLE just like the MD med-students, and apply for allopathic residencies. His/her acceptance is dependant on the score, not so much if they are MD/DO. Both are doctors, and both go through rigorous training to get there. I am only applying DO, even after working for years at a well-known allopathic medical school. It is not because I don’t have a competitive application, it is because I allign myself with the DO philosophy, and it is a personal choice.

It is sad to see that there are still people out there that thrive off demeaning fellow practioners. With the new integrative approach towards patient care, you’ll have plenty of battles to fight…DO today, next mid-levels; DNPs perhaps?

Well I can tell you that you are wrong. I am a Master of Biomedical Science holder with a 3.9 GPA and 32 MCAT, over 1500 hours of EMT volunteering, 300 hours of medical research, and 100 hours of shadowing and hospital volunteering. I have received multiple acceptances from MD schools, but yet have decided to attend a DO school because I am leaning toward a field in primary care and am very interested in preventative medicine. So maybe you should grow up and stop assuming things just because you know someone going to a DO school. With any profession, DO or MD, you will have quack doctors and amazing doctors. Sorry your brother in law fell into the quack category, but you’re obviously following his footsteps with that mindset.

BAHAHA. Whatever brother. I had a 31 MCAT (taken sophomore year without upper level courses) 3.72 gpa, 4 publications. Didn’t want to move 5000 miles away from everyone I knew so I chose the osteopathic school 35 minutes down the road. Personally, I don’t see the differences between the two professions. All I know is, my uncle is an osteopathic neurologist who was chief resident of his residency at UF (an M.D. residency), hasn’t had a single malpractice complaint in 23 years, and has more Ferrari’s in his garage than Ferrari of Miami (not an exaggeration). You guys keep talking the talk, i’ll be finishing up my first yr and looking forward to the rest. Right on brotha!!!

Going to DO school, have a 3.8 and a 33 MCAT, didn’t get into my top 3 schools because apparently I had a lack of medical experience (whatever that means). Have no shame going that route, I want to be a doctor not a pretentious little fuck.

I want to be a DO. I have a 3.72 GPA and received a 29 on the MCAT. For I only studied for the MCAT a week before, so it probably was not my best work. I am set to graduate with a BS next semester one year ahead of schedule. While I will not claim to be the smartest person on the planet I am most certainly not dumb or desperate. Osteopathic medicine is my first and only choice period.

You are posting blatant lies. Average MCAT score and GPA of DO matriculants for the class of 2013 and 2014 were 27 and 3.5. Yes, admission stats have gone up by a lot for DO schools. More and more applicants choose DO over MD due to a desire to learn OMM and other factors like location.

Hi John,
Not sure what you are referring to, as I clearly state that getting into both MD and DO programs is tough. And it is. Both programs are competitive. I added the scores you mentioned for 2013 and 2014 to my response, so thanks for the input. I also mentioned choice of location and desire to study extra naturopathic and preventative medicine as factors in making the DO/MD choice. I just don’t see where you might have a beef. I thought my answer to the question of DO vs. MD was quite complementary of the DO professional and his/her decision. Can you enlighten me on what I said that’s gotten you so upset?http://premedfaq.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php#comments-form

Wow… Kind of harsh don’t you think? I’m a student at a D.O. School and for your information neither I nor anyone know got in with a 22 MCAT and 2.0 GPA like you’re claiming. Last time I checked, some of us take the exact same board exams and go to the same ACGME residencies. And just in case you were wondering, I actually did get into an MD school but I didn’t want to pay 3x the tuition at an out of state school and be so far away from home. Jesus… Lets hope you never have an emergency and go to the ER because, *gasp* what if there’s only a D.O. Working there?!?! The HORROR!!!! Some people are so ignorant…

1. There is a difference between DO’s and MD’s. If they were the same, then they would be integrated by now.
2. The difference lies in a matter of additional training and philosophical thought, not in absence of coursework/training or of intellectual capacity.
3. If you think the two letters that are behind your name is what will determine whether you are a good doctor or not, or whether or not you will be respected as a professional/person, you need some help in your thinking skills. I’ve met hundreds of physicians, DO’s and MD’s. There are good physicians and there are not so good physicians. Some of the best physicians I know are DO’s; some of the best physicians I know are MD’s. I know some DO’s that don’t listen to patients and just try and shove meds down patients. I know some MD’s that are very preventative medicine-minded and use meds only when absolutely necessary. You will get a top-notch education wherever you go, osteopathic school or MD school. YOU are the one that will determine if you are a good doctor or not. Your personality, values, beliefs, work ethic, etc. will make or break you, not where you go to school. I have been accepted to an MD school and a DO school and am going to the DO because I like the school/location better than the MD school/location. I also like rural medicine and respect osteopathic medicine’s commitment to improving rural health. In the end, go wherever you want to spend the next 4 years. DO or MD, you are a DOCTOR and you will ALWAYS be in business. You have a set of skills and provide a service that people will always need and will seek you out for, no matter what.

I am a DO student at PCOM. The only reason I am going to this school is because I was rejected from every MD school I applied to due to poor grades and a weak application. My dad is an MD and suggested I apply to a DO school unless I wanted to sink as low as going to the carribean. DO schools have a significantly lower GMAT and MCAT requirement. So I suggest if you are obsessed with becoming a doctor and aren’t as smart as legit MDs, you should apply to DO school and suck it up when residency time comes

Let’s not lie to ourselves guys. There is a difference in how you will be looked at professionally if you choose a DO. Some people just do not care about it, and it is ok. The philosophy for DO programs is fantastic, unfortunately in the academic world they just don’t cut it. I am not saying that smart people only choose MD’s, although the vast majority of them actually do. Someone choosing a DO with above average GPA and MCAT score is really an exception, since most people on that boat will choose MD long before they consider going MD. Whether this is a fair attitude or not, does not matter because it happens to be reality.
It is true that you “can” get into some competitive MD residencies if you are following the DO route, however, one must consider where it happened. I am fairly confident that the Massachusetts General, Hopkins, Mayo Clinic…. and all top academic hospitals clearly have a bias to MD graduates. Yes, you will see DO radiologists, but you will never see a DO radiologist from any of the top training programs for those residencies. There are even some residencies where you will practically never encounter a DO (ENT, Neurological Surgery, Dermatology).
At the end, if you are doing private practice, it might not matter because it is not like you have in your employee badge, trained at X hospital, however you would never really be considered for academic medicine if you happend to be in the DO boat. I am talking about prestigious academic medicine. Even though there are great DO’s out there, we still as a society have a bias towards MD, and as long as we have it, those differences will still be there.

You should ask yourself things like:
What do I want to do for residency?
Does it matter to me where I train for residency?
Do I want to work in an academic Hospital (academic DO hospitals do not have nearly as much popularity and prestige as academic MD hospitals)?

If those things matter to you, you do would do well by avoiding a DO. If they don’t then DO might just be a great route for you. I have looked at some of the MD schools where I have been accepted and it is impressive to see how there match lists are so incredible that it is hard to believe. Virtually everyone got into there first or second choice residency program (and I am talking of really good training programs.) The average board score for its graduating class was 243 last year and it has been in the 240′s for the several years now. For those who do not understand, that is two standard deviations above the mean, basically most of their graduating MD class could have picked what ever residency they wanted and would have gotten in with no problem. While this can happend in a DO school, it will be an exception and not the rule. Stories like this are not exceptions but the rule at some MD schools.

In the 21st century, the training of osteopathic physicians in the United States is very similar to that of their M.D. counterparts. Osteopathic physicians attend four years of medical school followed by at least three years of residency. They use all conventional methods of diagnosis and treatment. Though still trained in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), the modern derivative of Still’s techniques,’:“

Being a third year osteopathic medical student, I thought this article was on the mark – for the most part. The only thing I would change is that naturopathic is completely distinct from osteopathy, and we learn none of it. We also don’t learn alternative meicine – osteopathy is more of a philosophy and we learn OMM (osteopathic manipulative treatment) which is seperate but apart of the osteopathic education. Why do I say that it’s seperate? Because medicine is such a vast field and you can incorporate OMM into your practice as you wish, but the framework of thinking that osteopathy build in its students will be apart of your clinical decision making regardless of what field you go into. What is OMM? I would describe it as a mix between physical therapy and chiropractic, however to understand it completely you would have to know the history of osteopathy.
As far as the applicant pool – I had almost identicle grades and mcat as most of my friends that were accepted into MD schools and in fact I thought my application was a little better. However, there is alot more that comes into play than what’s on paper. It is important to meet the right people, get some clinical experience and interview well. I chose osteopathy because I loved the school I interviewed at and I didn’t get into my home MD school. I could have applied to MD schools for another 5 years (lots of people do this) and gotten in, but I don’t care much about what comes after my name. In the end, caring for patients is what medicine boils down to.

Just to clarify some things from my last comment (Sorry I am in pre-op waiting for a patient and on my ipad, so also sorry for grammatical errors). I am not the Roy who was posting some rather ill-inforrmed comments earlier. Also – I implied that OMM is not an essential part of the D.O. degree which is wrong. If you go to an osteopathic medical school you will have to learn OMM and you will be tested over it, but once you have your degree you can pick and choose what you would like to use or not use. I also said that we don’t learn alternative medicine. I meant to say that we don’t learn to incorporate medicinal techniques and practices that don’t have evidence of improving the lives of patients….but I’ll admit as a D.O. candidate that there is some research lacking in the OMM field.
A few random thoughts:
People ask me all the time why I chose D.O. – I tell them whatever they want to hear.
I’m constantly asked: “What is a D.O.?” I tell them it’s seperate but identical to an M.D.
You should always take things with a grain of salt when you read forums and other opinionated articles. Alot of students rely heavily on forums like student doc and uncle harvey (etc etc) for their information, but sooooo much of it is innacurate. If you are a student that is interested in osteopathic medicine then go for it – the world is your oyster. If you reallllly want that M.D. for some reason then go for it – my mother always said: “Those who do, do and those who don’t, don’t.”
For patients: Go to the doctor that you feel most comfortable with.